President Donald Trump has asked advisers whether Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth should leave the administration following Republicans' midterm defeat, CBS News reported, even as he publicly defended the Pentagon chief and rejected suggestions that a replacement was under consideration.
The discussions come as Vice President JD Vance directly blamed the Iran war for Republican losses, exposing disagreements within the administration over the political cost of a conflict Trump continues to defend.
No decision on Hegseth's future has been made, according to CBS News. Other senior figures involved in the war, including U.S. Central Command commander Adm. Brad Cooper and Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Dan Caine, could also face repercussions.
Asked Wednesday whether he was considering replacing Hegseth, Trump told reporters: "No, I think he's doing a very good job."
Trump also responded favorably to a question about Hegseth potentially filling the Tennessee Senate seat that Marsha Blackburn will vacate when she becomes governor. "I actually think he'd be very popular if he did that," Trump said, while adding that he had not heard of such a proposal.
Vance's assessment offered a sharper account of the Republican defeat. Writing on social media Wednesday, he argued that the party's central problem was losing previous supporters to Democrats, rather than simply failing to bring Republicans to the polls.
"Undoubtedly there were places we could have done better on turnout. But the main problem is not turnout. The main problem is that many people who voted for Trump/Vance in 2024 voted for Democrats in 2026," Vance wrote.
He acknowledged a pollster's criticism of the administration's economic messaging but said the conflict was the decisive issue.
"The reason we lost is the war. The president himself said so last night," Vance wrote. "But everyone knows why we lost. And any honest conversation about where we go from here must start there."
Trump acknowledged the war's electoral impact in an interview with The Wall Street Journal as results arrived, while maintaining that higher gasoline prices, rather than the military campaign itself, had turned voters against Republicans.
"Iran was a piece of it," Trump said. "I don't think about it. I did the right thing. I would have done it again."
Hegseth is also facing criticism from Republicans outside the administration. An unnamed Republican close to the White House told CNN that the defense secretary should bear responsibility, accusing him of providing inaccurate accounts of the war's objectives and expected duration.
Sen. Thom Tillis told CBS News that Hegseth faced "a reckoning," arguing that his strained relationships with lawmakers were hindering efforts to secure a $1.5 trillion defense spending package. Rep. Thomas Massie has filed eight impeachment accusations against Hegseth and plans to force a House vote.
Pentagon press secretary Kingsley Wilson defended Hegseth in a statement to USA Today, saying the department remained united behind his leadership.
Democrats, meanwhile, have promised investigations when they take control of Congress. Rep. Adam Smith, expected to chair the House Armed Services Committee, has pledged scrutiny of the Iran war and what he described as erosion of the military's "apolitical foundation."
